Fundación Dominicana de Estudios Marinos

What Fundación Dominicana de Estudios Marinos does

Fundación Dominicana de Estudios Marinos (FUNDEMAR) is a Dominican Republic nonprofit marine conservation foundation founded in 1991 by Professor Idelisa Bonnelly and currently led by Director Rita Sellares, with Dr. Aldo Croquer as Advisor and Associate Researcher. Operating from its Centro de Estudios Costero Marinos in Bayahibe, La Altagracia, the organization conducts integrated monitoring, restoration, and conservation of coastal-marine ecosystems including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, and marine megafauna (Antillean manatees, bottlenose dolphins, humpback whales, sea turtles). Its primary program participants are educational institutions (national and international schools and universities), hotels and diving centers participating in coral nursery alliances, local fishing and tourism communities, and independent researchers and graduate students using FUNDEMAR facilities.

The foundation's core portfolio is organized around four pillars: MONITOREA (an ecosystem monitoring program applying AGRRA and GCRMN international protocols to mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs), Coral Reef Conservation (nursery management, coral gardening, larval propagation, with 1.5 million+ coral recruits planted across 8 nurseries and 50+ structures managing 3,000 meters of coral), Megafauna Conservation (a participatory manatee photo-identification catalog and a long-term bottlenose dolphin population study covering 150 individuals across 5 social groups, 3 of them resident), and Education (hands-on training reaching 300+ people annually plus an External Research Program for graduate students). Technical components include standardized monitoring manuals, a 104-page Manual de Reproducción Asistida de Corales, annual coral spawning prediction calendars, and a Google Forms/Drive-based reporting system used by affiliated diving centers to submit sighting, transplant, and nursery data.

FUNDEMAR's revenue model is donation-based, accepting one-time and recurring contributions with preset options of US$10, US$25, and US$50 via PayPal plus USD and Dominican Peso bank transfers through Banco Popular Dominicano. Revenue is supplemented by project-specific grants and in-kind support from institutional partners including the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente. Distribution is conducted through a self-serve website (fundemardr.org), on-site programs at the Bayahibe center, and global online donations. There are no commercial pricing tiers, subscription fees, or contracted revenue lines, consistent with the organization's nonprofit mission.

Name

Fundación Dominicana de Estudios Marinos

Legal name

Fundación Dominicana de Estudios Marinos, INC

Website

https://fundemardr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FUNDEMAR is a Dominican Republic nonprofit marine conservation foundation founded in 1991, operating from Bayahibe. It conducts coral reef restoration, marine megafauna protection, ecosystem monitoring, and education programs serving educational institutions, hotels, diving centers, and local communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI), Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Marine conservation services
• Coral reef restoration
• Marine ecosystem monitoring
• Marine megafauna protection
• Environmental education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bayahibe

HQ country

Dominican Republic

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FUNDEMAR is a Dominican nonprofit foundation that conducts marine-coastal ecosystem conservation through four program pillars: ecosystem monitoring via the MONITOREA protocol (mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs), coral reef restoration (nurseries, coral gardening, larval propagation), marine megafauna conservation (humpback whales, dolphins, Antillean manatees, sea turtles), and environmental education and community outreach. Offerings include a participatory manatee photo-identification catalog, educational programs for visiting schools and universities, and an external research program supporting graduate and doctoral fieldwork.

Product overview

FUNDEMAR offers a portfolio of marine conservation products and programs organized around four core pillars: MONITOREA (ecosystem monitoring), Coral Reef Conservation, Megafauna Conservation, and Education. MONITOREA is the flagship monitoring program evaluating mangrove, seagrass, and coral reef health using standardized scientific protocols. The Coral Reef Conservation program includes nursery management, coral gardening, and larval propagation, supported by technical manuals. Megafauna Conservation focuses on humpback whales, dolphins, manatees, and sea turtles, featuring a participatory photo-identification catalog for manatees. The organization also provides educational programs for groups, external research programs, scientific publications, and a reporting system for affiliated diving centers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MONITOREA An integral monitoring initiative that evaluates the health of mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs in the Dominican Republic through scientific monitoring and collaboration with key stakeholders to design effective conservation strategies. Targeted at environmental managers, researchers, and conservation stakeholders.
• Conservación de Arrecifes (Coral Reef Conservation) Coral reef restoration and conservation program that includes nursery management, coral gardening, larval propagation, and community integration for the protection of Dominican Republic's coral ecosystems. Includes 8 coral nurseries managed in alliance with hotels and diving centers, with 50+ structures and 3,000 meters of coral under care.
• Conservación de Megafauna (Marine Megafauna Conservation) Marine megafauna conservation program focused on humpback whales, dolphins, Antillean manatees, and sea turtles, including rescue, rehabilitation, reintroduction (Juanita, Pepe, Lupita in 2020-2021), and ongoing monitoring activities including GPS tracking.
• Catálogo de Fotoidentificación de Manatíes (Manatee Photo-Identification Catalog) Participatory photo-identification catalog for manatees that allows volunteers and researchers to identify individual manatees and track their health, movements, and behavior for conservation purposes. Documents unique physical characteristics including head, back, sides, peduncle, and tail features.
• Programa Educativo para Grupos (Educational Program for Groups) Marine conservation education program for national and international students learning reef conservation and restoration basics, covering marine mammal captivity issues, coral reef importance, reef restoration, herbivorous fish, solid waste impact, and invasive lionfish. Trained 300+ people annually.
• Programa de Investigación Externa (External Research Program) Coastal-marine conservation research program in Bayahibe inviting independent researchers, thesis students, and doctoral candidates to develop research projects with access to FUNDEMAR's facilities, monitoring data, and field resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.5 million+ coral recruits planted to reefs
• +4 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Red Arrecifal DominicanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational alliance promoting the protection and restoration of coral reefs in the Dominican Republic. Works with FUNDEMAR on shared conservation goals for reef ecosystems.
• Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided GPS tracking equipment and support for monitoring reintroduced manatees (Juanita, Pepe, Lupita) to track their movements and ensure their wellbeing post-release.
• Ministerio de Medio Ambiente de República DominicanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for marine mammal sanctuary management including Santuario de Mamíferos Marinos Bancos de la Plata y Navidad, and joint initiatives for dolphin and manatee protection with regulatory support.
• Acuario Nacional de República DominicanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated in the rescue, rehabilitation, and reintroduction program for manatees Juanita, Pepe, and Lupita in 2020-2021.
• Hotels and Diving Centers NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAlliance with hotels and diving centers to host coral nurseries, support restoration activities, and participate in the Blue Flag environmental certification program. Network expanded from 2 to 8 coral nurseries through these partnerships.
• Santuario Marino Nacional Stellwagen (USA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister sanctuary relationship established with the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in the United States for humpback whale conservation collaboration.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Conservación ConCiencia: Mexican nonprofit focused on coral reef and marine ecosystem conservation with community-based programs — a closely analogous Latin American/Caribbean marine conservation nonprofit comparable in size and mission.

Direct peers

• Reef Conservation International: Nonprofit dedicated to coral reef conservation and restoration globally, with comparable programs in coral gardening, reef monitoring, and community-based marine conservation training.
• Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute: Marine conservation and research organization focused on marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation, and monitoring. Already an active FUNDEMAR partner (GPS equipment for manatee tracking), making it a directly comparable operational peer.
• Coral Restoration Foundation: U.S.-based nonprofit specializing in coral reef restoration through nurseries and outplanting, using techniques closely aligned with FUNDEMAR's coral gardening and larval propagation approach. Most directly comparable mission and methodology peer.
• Healthy Reefs Initiative: Mesoamerican Reef-focused coalition using standardized reef health monitoring protocols (similar AGRRA-style methodology) and publishing ecosystem health report cards — directly analogous to FUNDEMAR's MONITOREA program for the Dominican Republic.
• Perry Institute for Marine Science: Marine conservation research nonprofit focused on Caribbean reef health, coral resilience, and science-based policy — closely aligned with FUNDEMAR's MONITOREA-driven reef assessment and policy advocacy approach.

Broad incumbents

• Waitt Institute: Ocean conservation organization supporting Blue Economy and marine protected area establishment in Caribbean nations, with a comparable model of science-driven national policy engagement as FUNDEMAR.
• Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium: Established U.S. marine research institution with active coral reef restoration, coral disease research, and marine ecosystem monitoring — a larger-scale peer with overlapping scientific scope and partnerships.
• The Nature Conservancy Caribbean Program: Global conservation organization's Caribbean division operating large-scale coral reef protection, climate adaptation, and policy initiatives across the region — a much larger peer operating in overlapping geography.

Others

• MAR Fund (Mesoamerican Reef Fund): Regional environmental fund that provides grants to marine conservation NGOs operating across the Mesoamerican Reef — a potential funder peer and ecosystem participant analogous to grantmaking that supports Caribbean marine nonprofits like FUNDEMAR.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Fundemardr
• Facebookfacebook.com/Fundemar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fundación Dominicana de Estudios Marinos